Born Free

Jimmy asked if I thought the puppies had ever been outside. Look at the photo and figure it out for yourself! These puppies are living the most enchanted life. Check out www.ShedHornLabs.com and go to the "Puppies" tab. This photo was from the 5th week series. Also look at the individual photos. What personality they have in their 5th week!

"Hello"

My cell phone rang. I answered it. "Is Luther there?" to which I replied, "Not yet!" It was Jimmy!

Family Photo

The other day we were finishing a business appointment and the discussion turned to personal interests. The sales rep. William, said that about the only thing he did anymore was duck hunt. I affirmed that Jimmy is a big duck and goose hunter and that we were getting a new retriever that would hunt with him in the marsh. Jimmy heard this and then reached for his wallet. He opened up his wallet and front and center was a picture of Willie that Jimmy had printed off the website. Fancy that! To my knowledge, he hasn't carried a family photo with him in 20 years and now he's showing off the dogs!

Airline Data

The airline ticket is now purchased! I called Delta and the lady reviewed the flights where Luther would accompany me and said there were no other animals booked. She said to purchase my ticket and call back to add the animal info to my reservations. When I called back, the next lady asked the breed and age of the dog and approximate weight. She asked me what kind of carrier I was using. I told her I hadn't purchased it yet but it would be a soft sided carrier. She said the maximum size was 18"x12"x12" and that's what I had seen at PetSmart. My next decision is whether I puchase a carry on style or one with wheels and a telescoping handle. (Luther's wild ride!)Hmmm.....time to go shopping.

The Flying Pup

Usually booking flights is no problem for me. I look for a sale and away we go! Jimmy suggested that I fly to Denver and have Luther shipped in there. Then fly directly home with him. The only problem is that United has no cargo service from Kallispell to Denver. Various combos just got to be tooooo much. So I've settled on flying into Denver for 2 or 3 days to visit my brother (can't go west without seeing him!) and then up to Montana and see my old high school buddy, Chyral. I'll pick up the puppy and fly back to Richmond with him in a soft-sided carrier. The best flight connection (3 flights and 2 layovers) is almost 9 hours from takeoff, layovers, to arrival here. By the time we are home, Luther and I should have a pretty tight bond.

I'm looking forward to this great adventure. Now how to pack for this trip! The lady at PetSmart had a great idea. Line the bottom of the carrier with those puppy pads. They'll help cushion the bottom as well as act as a dry liner. I couldn;t help buying one toy for Luther to play with in his carrier. I've got my fingers crossed that Luther will be a good boy all the way home.

Yesterday I talked with Karen. Poor girl has the same crud I had last month and she sounded awful. She said Lauren had called and the puppies were HOWLING in the background. A new skill for the litter! Attached is a photo Lauren had posted. It makes me laugh!

Walking in the Rain

It's amazing how one small change in your ordinary life structure can affect so many of your decisions. We received a new copy of the Land's End catalog. I've been looking for a raincoat/jacket for some time, something that was like GoreTex that would breathe but was waterproof. It needed to have a hood (hey, why get your hair wet!) and I thought black would be serviceable. When you go on a cruise, this is a wardrobe essential. Well, in looking through the spring catalog, there it was in both lengths. Decisions! But now that we are going to have a dog, I'd need to get one in yellow because of walking him in the rain at night.

When I had a German Shepard in High School in Tacoma, Washington, I had to walk him in the morning and at night. I had a pair of boots and a raincoat that were my standard walking apparel. History repeats itself.